postreferendum woes spark angry protests in kurdistan
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

Post-referendum woes spark angry protests in Kurdistan

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Post-referendum woes spark angry protests in Kurdistan

Protesters in Iraqi Kurdistan on Monday torched offices of the main political parties and security services.
Sulaimaniyah - Arab Today

Protesters in Iraqi Kurdistan on Monday torched offices of the main political parties and security services as anger at the authorities boiled over in the wake of a failed independence push.

Furious demonstrators set fire to buildings in the Piramagrun area of Sulaimaniyah province as they demanded the resignation of the autonomous region's leadership, an opposition party official said.

Abdel Razak Sharif, a leader of the Goran party, told AFP there were no casualties.

Elsewhere, several thousand angry people across the region took to the streets, including in the major city of Sulaimaniyah and some parts of Arbil province.

Haval Abu Bakr, the Goran governor of Sulaimaniyah province, told reporters he backed civil movements but "we oppose any confrontation".

He urged the security forces not to get involved in the clashes and asked that the protesters "demonstrate peacefully".

Tensions have soared in Iraqi Kurdistan over the calamitous fallout from an independence referendum in September that was opposed by the central government in Baghdad.

In the wake of the overwhelming "yes" vote -- pushed through by veteran regional leader Massud Barzani despite international condemnation -- federal forces retook swathes of disputed territory from the Kurds.

The loss of the oil-rich areas dealt a body blow to Kurdish coffers, pushing the region into dire financial straits and dashing long-held dreams of becoming a viable state.

Firms have closed and there has been an uptick in unemployment since the vote as the economic beating by Baghdad has taken its toll.

Protesters -- including many civil servants -- shouted "Down with the thieves", "Death to Barzani" and "Down with the government that lost the disputed regions".

Police in Sulaimaniyah -- a stronghold for a faction opposed to Barzani -- fired tear gas to keep demonstrators away from the offices of political parties.

Regional president Barzani announced he was stepping down in late October after the independence vote backfired spectacularly.

Legislative and presidential elections in the region due on November 1 were postponed because of the turmoil.

Prime minister Nechirvan Barzani, the ex-president's nephew, has pledged to hold the polls over the next three months.

The dispute over the referendum saw deep rifts within Iraqi Kurdistan burst into the open.

The main party opposed to the Barzanis rejected the independence vote and its forces struck a deal with Iraqi troops to let them retake key chunks of territory without a fight.

In a sign that the region's isolation after the vote is easing, Iran on Monday reopened all its border crossings with Iraqi Kurdistan.

Iran, which along with Turkey opposed the referendum over fears it could spur their own Kurdish communities, closed the border crossings after the vote.

Source: AFP

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

postreferendum woes spark angry protests in kurdistan postreferendum woes spark angry protests in kurdistan

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

postreferendum woes spark angry protests in kurdistan postreferendum woes spark angry protests in kurdistan

 



GMT 04:22 2017 Tuesday ,26 December

Israel in touch with '10 countries' over embassy moves

GMT 19:43 2017 Friday ,06 October

Employee safety top priority at Khalifa Port

GMT 16:19 2017 Friday ,28 April

ISIS Suspect Arrested in Western Germany

GMT 12:57 2017 Monday ,11 December

50 Students Poisoned by Contaminated Well Water

GMT 16:31 2017 Thursday ,10 August

Palestinians will discuss decline of aids

GMT 21:15 2017 Saturday ,04 March

Obama never ordered surveillance on any US citizen

GMT 10:00 2017 Thursday ,09 March

Russia ‘can be good friends with GCC’

GMT 02:13 2017 Wednesday ,22 February

Russian helicopter crash kills 19 in Siberia

GMT 13:23 2017 Tuesday ,05 December

Lebanon PM Hariri rescinds resignation

GMT 00:39 2017 Tuesday ,05 December

Gunmen kill cleric in Aden, southern Yemen

GMT 11:43 2016 Thursday ,24 November

Will learn from Euro exit

GMT 06:56 2017 Tuesday ,17 October

US ‘not taking sides’ between Iraqi forces, Kurds

GMT 19:59 2017 Thursday ,16 February

Syrian opposition's chief negotiator arrives in Astana

GMT 15:41 2017 Thursday ,29 June

US sets new visa rules for 6 mainly Muslim nations

GMT 19:31 2017 Saturday ,11 February

Earthquake Hits Taiwan

GMT 15:30 2017 Monday ,27 November

Syrian government will not join peace talks on Monday

GMT 16:20 2017 Tuesday ,31 October

La Rochelle survive red card to down Toulouse

GMT 20:33 2018 Tuesday ,16 January

Bahraini official receives UAE Ambassador

GMT 22:40 2018 Monday ,08 January

Bahrain to host first Baby Games
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday